MR, MASSEY'S APPEAL.

Grey River Argus, 3 September 1917, Page 3

MR, MASSEY'S APPEAL.

MUST FIND THE MONEY

The followinjr'.' appeal by the Rigfht Hon. W. F.;-'Massey. -Prime Minister to the citizens pi' New Zealand was telegraphed to the morning papers last nifrht:— : : \.

"Fellow citizens. —l wish to endorse most warmly the several appeals"; which the Minister of Finance has-T,made to you on behalf of the "Liberty!' War Loan. The three prime necessities of the war are men, munitions, and money. We have found the first in the 75,000 soldiers who have cheerfully offered' themselves for service .at the front, arid in the thousands ~of others who are loyally responding" to the call of. duty. It is now our business and duty to sec that the men who are fighting- for us arc adequately provided for. tha,t ■ the ■ necessary food supplies, clothinfiv equipment and munitions arc forthcoming: on their behalf- That all means money, more money, and still more money. The I war cannot sro on without it. and the money required must be raised from amongst ourselves. To help the Motherland and our Allies most effectually we must be -self-reliant,, resourceful, and independent. ."BSltain has already raised nearly five thousand millions stcrlitfg for the purposes of die war and right thinking: citizens agree that it would not only J>e improper but extremely unfair on our part were we to look to her for the money we can, and should, obtain from our own citizens. Our duty in this ma-tter is clear: We must make it our business- to provide, the necessary sinews of war for the requirements of the men we have sent and are. sending to the uuiu, so that the. success of their operations tnav be in nowise' impaired bylack of , effort on our part. ■ Such failure on' our part would undo. much of the work our guHant troops have already accomplished. We cannot, must not. and. will not fail them. Money is npw our first, most vital, and all-pressing considerations. Without it the war cannot go on. The twenty-four millions required to cover :our war expenditure during- the next twelve mouths must be forthcoming-. » . . "granted that the task is one of jrreat majfnitude it is not greater thaii that faced by our • kinsmen in Great Britain la>t year, when they subscribed the magnificent total of onfertthousand million's sterling for the "Victory 1 ' Loan. On the ncr capita., basis bur loan is about equal to that effort. We should be able to better it. >->: ■- ■ ■ • •.'-..., ■• • ■' "It seemed a fiTeat" thing when we. asked our people for eight millions iastvye*rj but we got it with three millions to spare. ;■ Now. that we afe called upon to make this greater effort,. I am 'confident that" the response will be 'equally effectual if our citizens Individually recognise their fe^ sponsibilitv in the matter. I have faith enough to believe that - the twelve, millions we_a,re asking for in thii Joan will be subscribed, and that the Balance will be forthcoming when required. But to ensure success there must' be no holding back. On the pare of every citizen there must be the clear recognition of this parameht doty in the present crisis. Everyone must contribute out of his or her means, be they small or great and the tefr'ns on which the loan is offered are such that no hardship is involved even if the investor has to borrow the money to make good his holding. • ' ••■ ■ -

"If ever ther*.e was a case in which men are justified iv pledging their personal credit to help on a good cause, it .is found in this "Liberty" War Loan. What if .contributing to the war loan does involve some self-denial or sacrifice on the part of the citizen?- Can any sacrifice the stay-at-homes -make cv6n.beir.in .to compare .with the sublime heroism and self-sacrifice of those of our fellow citizens who have gone forth to the war on our behalf, esteeming not their lives dear unto themselves; if happily they may preserve for us who remain secur.uy and place freedom of conscience and that independence of speech and thought which we have ever enjoyed under the British flag? , '"We think sadly yet proudly of the gallant lads dea.r to us as sons and brothers.' and* of those of ' niaturer years, husbands and fathers, who huvc made the supreme sacrifice in defence of our Empire and country so" -that m years to • come We may live in peace free from the greatest world menace known jii; the annals of civilisation. «; Our hearts are moved with love and compassion for those who . have suffered under the cruel privations of the war and who are maimed and crippled to-day because a stern and bounden duty confronts us. ... We know that unless the militaristic spirit of Russia is crushed and. extinguished by defeat. overwhelming and conclusive- in, its effect. Germany will but' clos ( > this war to prepare tor the next. The white

crosses which mark the last earthly resting places of the heroes wbo^ tell at Gallipoii and in Ltrvpt. at Flers and Mebsines, and on other of the battlefields of Europe appeal to us mutely, tut none the less eloquently, to see that the lives 'thus sacrificed shall not have been spent in vain. "It is our . duty not only to the living- but to the dead to carry on the war. We must continue the struggle in the interests of civilisation | and humanity. If we all bear a hand in the business we shall once again demonstrate to 'the world the earnestness with which New Zealanders stand unitedly together in battling for Kinc\ Country, and Empire, "W. F. MASSEY, ■-• < "Prime Minister." REMEMBER BELGIUM ! NOW 'IS THE~TIME TO ACT. • A STIRRING APPEAL. A final appeal by Sir Joseph Ward for- subscriptions to the War Loan ivas telegraphed last evening. Sir Joseph states : — "FeloAy citizens. — On thia the -last day for subscribing to the largest and most 'important loan ever raised by New Zealand, I make a final appeal, to the people of our Dominion tor/their wliole-hearted and practical -assistance. Were the life of some dear one dependent upon our money, which of us would hesitate a moment to spend our last pound or to. incur future liability in order to avert the calam-. it-y ? Which of us would see a loved mother or, wife or "child" suffer or die and continue to hoard up the gold which would save them ?. How much more then should' we spare neither effort, nor money,, nor the -.pledging ofpropcrty, to hasten the coming victory ami so curtail to the utmost of our power the- further sacrifice of the. s li_vcs of our beloved and noble fathers,and sons who are •enduring- the consequences of the fearful conflict now raging. -Should they faiJUthrough lack of our Support, there is-^tt" worse fate awaiting us. than ,sick-, ness or death. Keniember Belgium, re-, memberthe LuSitania, remember Nurse G,a>"cll, remember the : murdered wOriicn and babies of England, Is any scrificc to money adequate to ward off such inexpressible horrors? It is not alone our possessions that we must preserve. It is our freedom. Thai i those we hold naost dear should never be ground under the iron heel of the barbarous conquerors of Belgium. ' "Whether you can lend £1, or £10, a £1000 or even £10,000. I urge you to lend -it in the same spirit in Tvhieh I you would part with every earthly ■possession to save your dear ones and your country. You cannot afford to wait until our arm,y is in want. You cannot afford to wait until the enemy is at bur gates. Now' is the time to act. Let the amount be ever so small it is nbeded in this great hour of national trial. The total of mjany small sums will reach millions. The loan' will close at 'five p.nu to-morrow. Sufficient grace will be given to enable societies, companies, and trustees to complete their arrangement after the legislation ha,s. been passed by Parliament legalising their action. I wish everyone to personally participate in this great effort to finance our troops to victory. There is no cause greater than freedom and wo must all be prepared to pay the price, however great."JOSEPH GEOitGE WARD. "